nest camera
 

There was a Great Gray Owl in the yard the other day which got me thinking (again) that I'd like to put a nesting platform up to hopefully attract a nesting pair of raptors. And if I'm going to climb a tree to do this (something I'm equipped to do) I might as well include a camera. But... while I don't mind climbing to put things in place I want no part of climbing to change batteries or memory cards. Thinking this has been done before and a solution would be easy to find I turned to google only to learn there's a home security camera with the name 'nest cam' which renders googling ineffective for someone actually interested in putting a camera in a bird's nest. So while my question is totally off topic y'all have proven a resourceful group with a wide range of knowledge and experience so I'm asking here: What is a typical nest camera setup with power and storage remotely accessible?

Thanks,

There are plenty of outdoor IP cameras available. Just run a long wire to power it.

On further research, is there a solution that doesn't require a subscription, account, user fees, or wifi? I'm thinking more of a power cord and remote hard drive. I don't need live streaming.

Search for Ethernet connected outdoor cameras. Most of those will support PoE as well. Then use a Raspberry Pi as your own server.

Thanks Ralph. I've got a Pi running Naturebytes software now. It's in the house for testing and waiting patiently until I get the nest site prepped. Works great. I've yet to add the PIR sensor but that shouldn't pose a problem. I do have a question though. What about audio? Any ideas for adding that functionality to the nest cam?

Thanks,

The microwave proximity sensor arrived. Works without issue (lower right in photo). One step closer...

https://ecorenovator.org/forum/attac...1&d=1548904342

Certainly, the photos from a 5MP Raspberry Pi camera aimed at a nest should be quite impressive!!

For those without such high skills in electronics and Linux, a Loosafe 1080P outdoor wifi camera (LS-C6) will probably exceed your expectations. I run mine with MicroSD cards for onboard storage which I can then download from my PC (on the same network). You can choose the frequency it snaps a still photo, and set recording hours for video. You can set them to push images to a FTP server, if you're computer savvy. I've chosen the ones with 8mm and 12mm lenses to limit my wide angle views, although I did purchase one with a zoom lens to allow me to choose which fixed focal length will work best in a particular install location. These cameras basically require 12V power, and wifi (or a wired ethernet connection). I use these cameras to snap the sunrise photos I miss taking every morning, because life doesn't always afford the chance to stop and watch the sunrise.

Another option that recently came out is the ESP32 camera.
https://hackaday.com/2019/02/02/cheap-esp32-webcam/